4 startups that are taking the web from geek to chic. The worlds of fashion and technology have finally begun to combine in a serious way. It couldn’t have happened soon enough: Judging by the racks of discounted clothing you’ll still find when you walk into any typical Gap or department store, the big traditional retailers still have a long way to go when it comes to using technology to help with design, manufacturing and inventory analytics.
Of course, the selection and shipping elements have already been worked out by e-commerce giants such as Amazon. But the thing is, folks still need help deciding what to buy — especially now that selection is bigger than ever. Historically, that need has been met by brick-and-mortar stores staffed with salespeople. But today, software algorithms and social media can go a long way toward supplanting those in a more efficient way. Meanwhile, newer sites such as Pinterest, Polyvore and Fancy have made it so that window shopping online is now just as fun as strolling down Madison Avenue in person. StyleOwner lets fashion bloggers be more than a pretty face. Personal style curation is a huge thing online, especially among females. Sites such as Polyvore and Pinterest have become massively popular by allowing users to assemble collages comprised of their favorite clothing items, accessories and beauty products.
These platforms are addictive because they let users express themselves creatively and get positive feedback from other users who dig their personal style. Brands, naturally, are increasingly keen to have their products featured on such sites because of the great sell-through potential they provide. But what if the people who spend hours curating fashion and style products online could make money from the experience as well? Enter StyleOwner, a new e-commerce platform that lets anyone in the United States create and run an online boutique. Hours online can equal real money But the site doesn’t just give users a platform to get social kudos for having great taste — it can be a source of actual income. Mixing high tech and high fashion. Now profitable, Polyvore strikes a pose as top fashion site. Updated. Interactive fashion website Polyvore has officially entered into inflection point territory. The Mountain View, Calif. -based startup, which is backed by $8.2 million in venture capital, has achieved profitability and is currently seeing record web traffic, Co-Founder Jess Lee told me in an interview this week.
Polyvore’s website, which allows users to create fashion collages online with images clipped from any online store, now attracts 10 million unique visitors per month, making it the most-visited fashion website on the web today, Lee said. By comparison, Style.com, the popular fashion news and photo website run by Condé Nast’s Fairchild Fashion Group, reportedly receives some two million monthly unique visitors. Polyvore was launched in February 2007 by Lee, a former product manager at Google, and two former Yahoo engineers, Guangwei Yuan, Jianing Hu and Pasha Sadri.
And that engagement is making more and more advertisers take notice. Ed. Polyvore. Pinterest / Home. Styleowner. The City Chic Coterie on style.ly.